PowerPoint Presentation 1

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A Precise, Rapid, and Robust Method to modify
Interfacial Interaction Du Yeol Ryu, Eric
Drockenmuller, Craig J. Hawker, and Thomas P.
Russell (NSF grant NIRT 03-03916, GOALI grant
DMI-0217816)
Benzocyclobutene functionalized random copolymers
of styrene and methyl methacrylate were
synthesized. Thin films of this copolymer, spin
coated onto any surface, could be crosslinked
within minutes, coating the surface with a robust
layer that could be used to manipulate
interfacial interactions in a simple, yet precise
manner. These crosslinkable films avoids
surface specific chemistries required for
virtually all other techniques and provides
exquisite control of surface energies which is
necessary to manipulate the orientation of
morphologies in thin films.
Contact angles for PS and PMMA as a function of
thickness of a crosslinked BCB random copolymer
coating containing 58 S used to modify
interfacial interactions. Nanoscopic cylindrical
domains of PMMA oriented normal to the surface
when the random copolymer layer thickness
exceeded 6 nm as indicated by the schematic
morphology diagrams.
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A Precise, Rapid, and Robust Method to modify
Interfacial Interaction Du Yeol Ryu, Eric
Drockenmuller, Craig J. Hawker, and Thomas P.
Russell (NSF grant NIRT 03-03916, GOALI grant
DMI-0217816)
Societal Impact The procedure developed to
modify the interfacial interactions of any
surface has profound implications on the
fabrication of polymer-based nanostructured
materials and devices. The findings of these
interdisciplinary studies can be directly
transferred to the manufacturing sector,
streamlining and simplifying surface modification
processes, and accelerating the processing
strategies significantly.
Education The robust nature of the findings of
D. Ryu and E. Drockenmuller (two post doctoral
fellows spearheading this research) were
underscored by studies. D. Butterfield, an REU
participant from Harvard University, used this
methodology to manipulate the orientation of
cylindrical micro-domain in thin films.